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Quarterback waiver wire pickups and streamers for Week 6 of the fantasy football season. Elliott Baas recommends QB free agents to consider adding off waivers.
It was a monster week for Quarterbacks, as six QBs topped 30 points and 14 topped 19 points (in six-point passing TD leagues) heading into Sunday Night Football. Some of the high-scorers were the usual suspects, such as Deshaun Watson, Matt Ryan, and Tom Brady, but we also saw huge weeks from the backups, as Teddy Bridgewater and Gardner Minshew were just a few unheralded signal callers to put up big numbers.
Week 6 six is the first week with more than two teams on bye, but not many notable fantasy quarterbacks are on bye. Owners will be without Jacoby Brissett, Josh Allen, Mitchell Trubisky, and Derek Carr this week, though the latter two shouldn't be used in standard leagues anyway at this point. Carson Wentz (@ MIN) and Matthew Stafford (@ GB) owners may want to consider a streamer this week, as both quarterbacks face tough passing defenses on the road.
In this article, we're looking at quarterbacks owned in fewer than 65% of fantasy leagues, while throwing in a few deep-league options who are owned in fewer than 15% of leagues.
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QB Waiver Wire Options for Week 6
Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco 49ers
59% Owned @ LAR
The Rams’ secondary has been decimated over the last two weeks, allowing eight touchdown passes and 60.22 fantasy points to Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston. There are some big names in this secondary, but have seen starters Aqib Talib and John Johnson III take big steps backwards through their first five games, as both have achieved mere average PFF grades this season. Garoppolo doesn’t have near the big-play ability of either Winston or Wilson, as Garoppolo has a meager 7.2 aDOT through his first three starts. Even when factoring in Garoppolo’s short-tossing tendencies, he should be primed for some decent production as this game has a 48.5 O/U, giving it the second-highest expected total behind HOU @ KC.
With San Francisco a four-point road underdog, the game script should be conducive to success in the passing game for Garoppolo and the Niners. This is more than a one-week add as well, since Garoppolo has a few weeks of good matchups ahead. He gets the Rams in Week 6, Washington in Week 7, Carolina in Week 8, and Arizona in Week 9. Of that group only the Panthers have looked solid against the pass, and they were just shredded by Gardner Minshew for 374 passing yards. This four-week stretch should be very revealing about Garoppolo’s future as both a fantasy and real-life starter, and owners in need should pick him up ahead of a potentially strong run.
Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
51% Owned, bye Week 6
The Bills have a bye in Week 6, so you can’t use Allen this week, but he has an excellent schedule following the bye. He gets Miami in Week 7, Philadelphia in Week 8, Washington in Week 9, Cleveland in Week 10, and Miami again in Week 11. Those are all bottom-12 teams against quarterbacks this season, and two of them (Miami and Washington) are bottom-five.
Most quarterbacks are in play against Miami and Washington by virtue of how bad those teams are versus the pass, but there is reason to be excited about Allen outside of these matchups. Other than his disaster against the Patriots where he suffered a concussion, Allen has put up at least 18 points in every game this season. Allen has seen great improvements in his efficiency this season, with his completion rate up to 62% and his PACR up to 0.79. If you can hold Allen through his bye, he should provide a string of productive weeks going forward.
Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals
35% Owned @ BAL
The Ravens’ defense took another big blow on Sunday, losing Tony Jefferson to an ACL tear. He joins Jimmy Smith and Anthony Averett on the shelf, thinning out this secondary even more for their matchup with Cincinnati. The Ravens Defense had been torched by Patrick Mahomes and Baker Mayfield in Weeks 3 and 4, and it took an undrafted rookie third-stringer for Baltimore to look formidable in their overtime win Sunday.
Despite his reputation, Dalton has topped 18 points in all but one start this season, his Monday night stinker against Pittsburgh. That was Prime Time Andy, and luckily the Bengals’ 0-5 record means we’ll be getting plenty of one o’clock starts for Cincinnati this season going forward. It would be nice if Dalton had A.J. Green or John Ross in this one, but with Tyler Boyd’s emergence he still has a good weapon to target in what should be an uphill battle for Cincinnati. Dalton sort of epitomizes slightly above average. He’s a human C+, but that C+ should be good enough to pass in a favorable matchup against a banged up Baltimore secondary.
Gardner Minshew, Jacksonville Jaguars
23% Owned vs. NO
Minshew continues to surprise, and his latest performance was his best so far. Minshew put up 374 passing yards against a Carolina defense that had allowed the fewest passing yards per game going into Week 5. Minshew isn’t the only one emerging in Jacksonville either, as D.J. Chark put up a monster performance on Sunday along with Minshew. Things get much easier for Minshew and the Jaguars going forward, as they take on a Saints Defense that had allowed the second-most points to opposing quarterbacks going into Week 5. The defense was able to hold Jameis Winston in check this week, but that had more to do with the Saints’ offense controlling time of possession and running 12 more plays than the defense shutting down the Bucs.
While that’s a possibility again this week, it’ll be much harder for Teddy Bridgewater to perform well on the road against the Jaguars Defense, especially if Jalen Ramsey plays in this game. Jacksonville, unlike Tampa Bay, can also run the ball, which should help balance things out. Minshew’s play style matches up well against New Orleans, as he’s had an above average completion percentage on throws between 20-40 yards. The deep ball has been a big problem for New Orleans, who have allowed the fourth-most air yards and fourth-highest aDOT this season. Minshew will look to build on his recent success in a favorable matchup this week.
Two-QB League Pickups and Stashes
Kyle Allen, Carolina Panthers
10% Owned @ TB
There aren’t many quarterbacks I wouldn’t start against Tampa Bay, and Kyle Allen draws the cupcake matchup this week. Tampa Bay has allowed over 300 yards passing in their last four games, and just got picked apart by Teddy Bridgewater, for crying out loud. The four touchdown passes tied a career high for Bridgewater, and Week 5 was his first 300-yard performance since 2015.
Teddy two gloves racked up most of his numbers on the back of an elite player by peppering Michael Thomas with targets. Allen has the opportunity to do the same in Week 6 with Christian McCaffery, and those in deeper leagues will happily take those piggyback points from Allen. There isn’t much longevity with Allen, as the Panthers have a bye in Week 7 and Cam Newton could return shortly after that, but for this week there isn’t a better choice under 15% owned.
Teddy Bridgewater, New Orleans Saints
9% Owned @ JAX
It’s hard to ignore Bridgewater after his monster four-touchdown performance in Week 5. The matchup will get tougher in Week 6 against Jacksonville, but the Jaguars aren’t as scary if Jalen Ramsey sits out. Without him they allowed 303 passing yards and three touchdowns to the corpse of Joe Flacco in Week 4. Sure, they held Kyle Allen in check, but that’s because the defense spent its time chasing Christian McCaffery up and down the field.
As we saw this past week, Bridgewater can be elevated by the talent around him. With Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara, Bridgewater has access to some of the best weapons in football. He’s also protected by one of the league’s strongest offensive lines, making this the perfect situation for a mediocre talent to perform. Kyle Allen is still the preferred deep league option due to the matchup, but Bridgewater is a decent alternative.
More Waiver Wire Pickups and Advice
